Shattered 2
by charlieeppes
Summary: With permission from Roth, I am writing about the episode Rampage, from Charlie's POV and have called this story, Shattered 2. Thank you Roth! This story is on HIATUS, due to, what I feel, are accusatory reviews. Don't know if & when I'll update.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: I just want to say thank you to Roth, who wrote the original "Shattered" from Don's POV. I have asked Roth for and received permission to write the story from Charlie's POV. Of course, there will be differences, because we both dealt with two different characters from Numb3rs. So, thank you, Roth! I hope that you and everyone else enjoys! Chapter 1 is up!!_**

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Today was supposed to be normal...or as close to normal as I can get. It wasn't.

I was in the war room, explaining to Don about calculations.

"These calculations are only gong to give us broad suggestions, not – not concrete answers".

I can hear myself telling Don how this would work, but he seems to be not understanding me. I can see, out of the corner of my eye, the people in the outer room. Everyones walking around, but I don't hear what they are saying. I'm to busy with Don, who still didn't get it. So I decided to give him an example.

"There's two dogs, chained to different corners of the backyard".

"Right", he replies.

"And the lengths of their chains, as well as their respective positions, will limit the area the can come into contact".

"So, what, we do the same thing with McCall and the victim?"

I nod. "Starting with the known locations and employing the time frames of the attack, we can focus our search efforts on this--"...that's when the shots rang out. I turned my head to the sound, before Don pushed me to the ground.

"Get down! Stay down!"

I immediately do as he says. I scoot under the table and watch his feet dash out of the room. Looking around, I realized that I had forgotten to grab my laptop, which I reached up onto the table for. I pulled it down near me and froze. Every time a shot rang out, I jumped.

It seemed like hours, before the shooting finally stopped. I slowly crawled out from the table and shakily stood up. I did the only thing that I could think of...pull my laptop closer to my chest. That's when I heard Don asking, if anyone was hit.

I slowly advanced to the door and made my way out. I was looking around, but not really "seeing" anything.

"Hey. Are you alright?" I heard Don't voice, coming closer to me, but I didn't look at him. I was just watching everything. It seemed to go in slow motion for me. "Did you get hit?" He tried to my laptop away from me. That's when I came back to reality.

"Huh?" I asked, looking to see him pulling at the laptop.

"Let me see," he replied. I tried pushing him off.

"No! No." I decided to try and pull away.

"You sure your okay?" he asked me.

"I'm ok", I replied, maybe a little to loudly and with my smile. I was really hoping that he couldn't read into it, but I knew better. I am sure that he saw right through me. That's when Megan came up to us.

"SWAT's mobilizing, paramedics are on their way. I've got two bullet wounds, which are both minor and some cuts from the glass".

"That's it?" I hear Don ask. I'm just looking at them, still in my blank state.

"No", David Sinclair replied. I saw Don and Megan, turn to look at him, but I didn't. I was to scared to move. "Whoever this guy is, I think he got who he came for."

LATER

I was leaning against the building, still clutching my precious laptop and just watching people walk by.

"Hey Charlie" I hear in the distance "Hey. How you doing? Are you alright?" He poked me and I turned to face him.

"I'm fine" I replied quickly and softly. "I'm fine. H – How is everybody?" I glanced away quickly, before looking back to him.

"Well, you know...I mean, all things considered, I'd say we got off lucky", he replied.

"Lucky" I almost rolled my eyes. "He nearly killed all of us- I don't see how you get up and deal with this everyday. "

"Eh, you know. I don't get shot at everyday". I heard him chuckle and just looked at him. "Come on. I'll buy you some coffee."

"No", I replied, shaking my head, "I gotta get back to school and you have work to do."

I walked away, taking one last glance back at Don. I think he understood it. I was scared like you wouldn't believe. I hugged my laptop closer and continued walking towards CalSci.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I just wanted to thank everyone for their feedback. Yes, I know that the first Chapter wasn't great, but I was basically setting the background. Hopefully, this chapter has a little more emotion in it. I'm a newbie when it comes to writing fan fiction for Numb3rs. None of the characters are mine, although I wouldn't mind having Charlie! ;-)**

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I walk into my office and set my laptop down on my desk. I can still hear the gunshots, ringing in my ears. I shake my head, to try and rid that awful sound. I go to the chalkboard, pick up a piece of chalk and start writing out some math problems for the next class. I try to concentrate on my work, but I can't. When I placed the chalk against the board, I noticed that my hand was shaking.

_'Get a grip, Charlie. You're stronger then this'_, I thought to myself and started writing again. It must have been a while, because the next time I turn around, Larry and Amita are sitting there.

"Wh-when did you guys come in?" I asked.

"About five minutes ago, Charles", Larry replied, "We heard what happened."

"Are you ok?" Amita asked me. I sighed and nodded, before turning back to the board.

"Don and I are talking...talking about inequality bounding...and uh..." I scratch my head and turn to face them..."and then I heard breaking glass and a bullet goes past my head". I try hard, not to shiver in front of my friends. "There's noise"...I turn back to the board..."There's blood". I feel myself becoming nauseous and take a deep breath, trying to calm myself.

"Chaos", Larry said.

I turn back to him. "Chaos...chaos presupposes, uh,...an observable or measurable system. A deterministic equation with an outcome sensitive to initial c-conditions," I just spouted off. Honestly, it didn't even sound like my own voice. I turn, once again, to my work and start writing.

"Yes, well, I was speaking in the vernacular, Charles. And yet, you, we have stumbled on a rather lofty discussion here, because one could argue that violence, on the human scale, is reflective of a fundamental state,..." I tried to drown Larry out. I just didn't feel like listening to his ramblings right now. "...subatomic particles. The operatic clashes of galaxies."

"Is that supposed to be reassuring, Larry?" Amita asks him.

"On the macro level, yes, absolutely, but microscopically, perhaps, not so much".

I have had it. I slam the eraser down and turn to face them. "Don laughs it off, like it's some funny thing that happened at the office".

"It's a coping mechanism, Charlie. I mean, he sees violence daily, so he processes it with humor". I look at her blankly.

"Speaking of which, how are you coping?" Larry asks.

I turn to him. "Why? Why is everybody asking me that? Why?" I raised my voice a little.

"Because a little bit of post-traumatic stress is natural, if not, inevitable. And for you to return to work this early, I think is..."

"God, man!", I say with exasperation, "Look guys,"...I clasp my hands together, "uh, I need to concentrate on this". I pause for a moment, choosing my words carefully. "So, can you guys, um...".

Larry nods. "Yeah. O-okay. Of course".

I watch him set the book down. "Okay. Thank you. Thank you". I turn back to the board and start up writing, yet again. It seems that this is all I can do, right now.

"Listen, Charlie, if you want to talk..." Amita starts.

"Yes..." I turn to face her, "Your concern is appreciated. It really is. I just...allow me to work. Please." I beg. She nods and leaves the room.

I sigh and turn back to the board, to work on this problem, that has been giving me trouble. I realize that I did it wrong, yet again and erase it. "No. No.", I say softly. I'm getting frustrated and I know it. I put the eraser down and try one more time, before finally throwing the chalk across the room. I'm in full blown shakes now. I run my hand through my hair, before going to sit down at my desk. Once there, I place my arms on the table and drop my head into them, letting a couple of tears, that I have been holding back, finally flow free.


End file.
